Curtin Malaysia pleased with Curtin’s climb in world subject rankings and QS Stars

Miri – 24 March 2017 – Curtin University, Malaysia (Curtin Malaysia), the largest international campus of Curtin University here in Malaysia, is pleased that Curtin continues to receive global recognition in the QS World University Rankings by Subject, ensuring its students, staff and alumni can be proud to be involved with one of the leading education providers in the world.

Curtin Malaysia Pro Vice-Chancellor and President Professor Jim Mienczakowski remarked that the latest achievements in the rankings are a testament to Curtin’s strong connections with industry, high quality research and wide range of innovative courses, including at its international branch campuses.

He said Curtin achieved outstanding results in the latest subject rankings, including second in the world for Engineering – Mineral and Mining, up 17 places from last year.

The University achieved ranking in 25 subjects, seven more than last year, and ranked as a top 100 university in seven subjects: Engineering – Mineral and Mining, Architecture/Built Environment, Art and Design, Nursing, Earth and Marine Sciences, Education, and Sports-related Subjects. Sports-related Subjects is a new ranking category for 2017 and Curtin was positioned in the 51-100 band.

The University also ranked for the first time in Agriculture and Forestry, Pharmacy and Pharmacology, Psychology, Materials Science, Economics and Econometrics, and Physics and Astronomy.

Professor Mienczakowski’s comments echoed those of Curtin Vice-Chancellor Professor Deborah Terry who said the results reflected the University’s long-standing reputation for innovation and high-quality research.

“Overall, the results are very positive with improved performance in a number of areas, especially in Engineering – Mineral and Mining, an outcome that reflects the University’s strong profile and performance in this important field,” Professor Terry said in a press statement.

QS this year provided a ranking of 46 subjects which are categorised in the five broad disciplines of Arts and Humanities, Engineering and Technology, Life Sciences and Medicine, Natural Sciences, and Social Sciences and Management

The ranking assesses university performance across four areas – research, teaching, employability and internationalisation – and looks at six performance indicators, including academic reputation and student-to-faculty ratio.

Professor Mienczakowski said the University’s strong rankings in the various subject areas further strengthen the related courses it offers. This includes the Bachelor of Science (Applied Geology); Bachelor of Engineering in Petroleum, Chemical, Civil & Construction, Electrical Power, Electronic & Communication, Environmental and Mechanical Engineering; Bachelor of Technology (Computer Systems and Networking); Bachelor of Business Administration; and Bachelor of Commerce in Accounting and Finance – all of which are offered at the Malaysian campus.

Students at Curtin Malaysia study courses identical to those at the other Curtin campuses and the degrees they earn are conferred directly by Curtin University. In addition, they enjoy similar learning experiences and support mechanisms as their counterparts in Australia and Singapore and they are offered flexibility in completing their degrees at one of the other campuses.

Professor Mienczakowski also applauded Curtin University for retaining its overall 5 Star rating in the recent QS Stars audit, receiving 5 Stars for the categories of Teaching, Employability, Internationalisation, Facilities, Innovation and Inclusiveness, and 5 Stars for Engineering – Mineral & Mining. It was awarded 4 Stars for Research, an increase from 3 Stars in 2016.

According to Professor Mienczakowski, as a key component of Curtin and its hub for education and research in Asia, Curtin Malaysia sees the University’s QS Stars rating as a positive indicator of its own quality in teaching, research and student experience, as well as the quality and employability of its graduates.

He said Curtin aims to ensure that its campuses in Australia, Malaysia and Singapore are viewed as equally important and connections and collaborations across locations are becoming more embedded in their daily practices, including collaborative research, development and internationalisation of courses, and bi-directional delivery of course material between campuses.

Curtin’s outstanding achievements in world rankings augurs well for Curtin Malaysia too.